Printed circuit boards are typically used to increase the performance capability and memory capacity of computers. Printed circuit boards are usually comprised of a rigid substrate having one or more integrated circuits and/or other electronic circuitry provided thereon. It is well known that a printed circuit board can be electrically connected to an electronic device, such as another printed circuit board, by providing one board with several pins and the other with sockets for receiving those pins. Stamped metal springs are typically used to ensure that good electrical contact is maintained between the pins and the sockets. Usually, one spring is provided for each pin.
The use of these stamped metal springs, however, becomes increasingly costly as the number of pins increases. The number of pins, and therefore the number of springs required, typically ranges between a few and 68, but may extend into the hundreds. Thus, while it may be advantageous to decrease the size of the pins or the spacing between them, this reduction can be complicated by the difficulty and cost of manufacturing and installing so many tiny springs, each of which must still be strong enough to ensure good electrical contact between the pins and their respective sockets.
Printed circuit boards can be used in integrated circuit (IC) cards, which are increasingly being used with portable computers. Integrated circuit cards include personal computer (PC) cards and Smart cards. There are two basic types of PC cards: input/output (IO) cards and memory cards. Memory cards are used to store data in portable electronic devices, such as portable computers. Memory cards can be used to increase the main memory of a computer, or they can be used to store information pertaining to one particular subject, e.g., they can be used in a hospital setting to store a patient's medical records. Memory cards typically include at least one integrated circuit (IC) chip having either read-only-memory (ROM) or random-access-memory (RAM). The chief advantage of such cards is that they can be easily inserted and removed from the electronic device by the use of a multi-pin connector of the type described above.
In order to be useful, the card connector must be able to withstand many insertion and withdrawal cycles. Performance requirements established by certain standards organizations may typically be 10,000 insertion and withdrawal cycles. It would be desirable to have a printed circuit board connector which met these requirements and yet had a simple and reliable design.